If You Love Something, Let it Go
by alyells
Summary: When Ginny gets her heart broken, again, by the boy she’s loved all along, she turns to her mother for advice and consolation. WARNING; Contains HBP and DH spoilers!


If You Love Something, Let it Go

Post-Half Blood Prince, prior to Bill and Fleur's wedding

Summary: When Ginny gets her heart broken, again, by the boy she's loved all along, she turns to her mother for advice and consolation.

Molly Weasley sat curled up in her favourite chair in the living room, sipping steaming hot tea from a mug and watching the fire dance before her. Her knitting needles clicked furiously in front of her, knitting a jumper for Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. She was finally taking the time to relax while the boys, Harry and Hermione were out playing Quidditch, the Delacours had been taken sight-seeing by Remus and Tonks, and Arthur and Bill were at work. It had been a long, stressful day of checking and double checking everything, making the last few seating arrangements and booking the band for Bill and Fleur's wedding the following day.

Ginny was upstairs, tucked away in her room as she had been for the first two weeks of the summer. No one had been able to get a word out of her; Molly was concerned. She shook the thought physically from her head. If Ginny needed to talk, Ginny would find her. She had always had ears for her daughter, no matter what. She shouldn't be too worried. Things had been rough for her fifteen-year-old daughter before school had ended. And now, with Harry back in the house, discussing secrets with Ron and Hermione, of course she would be wound tight. How could she not be?

It was worrying her how Ron seemed to be extremely short with his sister. She tended to follow him around, trying to catch snippets of conversation, desperately wanting to know what they were plotting. Just that morning, Molly had walked in on a shouting match between her youngest two children, and Ginny had been in tears, which was rare, and was screaming that Ron was just trying to get between her and Harry, and that he should be keeping his over-large nose out of her business. It was the most she had heard her daughter say all summer.

The night was fast approaching, but Fred, George, Ron, Harry and Hermione had been known to stay out much later than this. The orchard where they played was in sight of the house, and if it was needed, Molly could simply step out the back door and call them in. She'd leave them be for now.

Molly closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The smoke and heat from the fire were hypnotizing, and she felt herself drifting off slowly. She pulled her cardigan more snugly over her shoulders and set her mug down. How nice it would be to doze off by the fire, just to take a short nap after a hard day of cleaning and preparing…

'Mum?'

Mrs Weasley opened her eyes again. She turned round to see Ginny standing in the doorway of the living room, clutching her old, tattered teddy bear with a missing nose and looking rather like a small, frightened child. Her fleece pajamas were a bright, dazzling green that reminded Molly of Harry. Ginny's eyes were red-rimmed and welling with tears, and she had black streaks of makeup on her cheeks. She looked a right mess.

Ginny crossed to her mother's chair and perched gingerly on the arm, staring into the fire. Silently, fresh tears started to cascade down her cheeks and her small lips parted slightly. She took a teary breath.

'Ginny,' Mrs Weasley said, laying a hand on her daughter's thigh. It was so unlike Ginny to cry, and twice in one day was totally bizarre. 'What's the matter?'

Whether she didn't want to say, or she couldn't get the words out, Ginny remained speechless. Instead, she began to make small, whimpering sounds and cried harder. Molly sat up in her chair and pulled Ginny of the arm and onto her lap. She held her against her chest as she sobbed.

'H-he doesn't kn-kn-know I exi-i-ist,' she murmured into her mother's cardigan, soaking it with salty tears. Molly rubbed soothing circles into her daughter's arms, holding her closer and tutting softly. It was unlike Ginny to be this upset over a fight with her brother. They happened so often, as she had six and they were all very different people.

'Weren't you just yelling at him this morning?' Mrs Weasley asked. Of course Ron knew she existed; he was constantly saying how he wished she didn't.

'W-who are you t-talking a-bout?' Ginny said tearfully, pulling back to look at her mother quizzically.

'Ron! Who are _you_ talking about?'

'Harry!' cried Ginny softly, crying harder again.

'Oh!' Molly exclaimed. How _silly_ of her! 'What about Harry?'

'W-we broke up,' Ginny said lamely. She sniffed and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her pajamas, then pulled her bear close to her chest. Molly had known, of course, that Harry and Ginny were doing together. But when Harry arrived at the Burrow at the beginning of the summer, they had been a bit awkward around each other. Molly had thought, perhaps, that it was because they didn't want to be overly affectionate in front of a huge lot of people.

'Well, dear,' Mrs Weasley said soothingly, 'I don't suppose you thought it would last forever, did you?'

'N-no,' Ginny stammered, 'I knew that we wouldn't get m-married or anything, but it was for some noble, save-the-world reason. I s-saw it c-coming, but it was s-s-so s-soon.'

'Tell me what happened.'

'Well, after Dumbledore's funeral, H-Harry and I took a walk around the lake. He said that he had to end it with me,' she said, wiping at her eyes with her sleeves, trying unsuccessfully to stem the flow of tears that were still coming strong. 'He s-said that Dumbledore left him a mission, and he didn't want me to get hurt while he was doing it. He said, "V-Voldemort hurts the people closest to us, and I don't want you to get hurt".'

Mrs Weasley flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name, but once the fear had passed, she felt a violent rush of emotion for Harry. He was so noble, so brave and kind hearted. He didn't want Ginny to get hurt. Mrs Weasley felt the burn of tears in her eyes. She blinked them away.

'Don't you think that makes sense?' Molly asked her. 'He's looking out for you, Ginny, dear. He doesn't want you to get hurt!'

Ginny's face fell. 'B-but _he_ hurt me!' She clutched at her teddy bear like it was a life line, wringing its poorly sewn arms between her hands.

'I know, dear, I know,' said Mrs Weasley quickly. She was torn between wanting to twist Harry's neck for causing her daughter so much heart break, and wanting to praise him up for being so gallant.

'I'm unlovable,' Ginny said dejectedly.

'Ginevra Molly,' Mrs Weasley said sternly, though her voice was still low and soft, 'you are _not _unlovable. You have family who adore you, friends who would die for you, and though you mightn't see it, it's obvious to me that Harry feels for you.'

Though Ginny had stiffened at her mother's strict words, she relaxed again and leaned against her. 'Well…I suppose…If you love something,' Ginny said wistfully.

'Let it go,' Mrs Weasley finished, nodding and stroking her daughter's long, flaming red hair. 'If it comes back, it's yours to keep.'

'S-so I have to let him go?'

'Only for a little while. He'll come back; they always do.'

They sat together in silence, Ginny's crying slowed and eventually stopped, and Mrs Weasley's hand keeping up a steady motion on Ginny's fiery locks, for what felt like an eternity. The door opened then closed, and foot steps and hushed whispers could be heard in the kitchen. The footsteps traipsed up the steps and into their respective rooms. Three doors closed softly.

The fire had died down, and the embers were casting an eerie glow about the nearly dark room. Ginny was dozing, her head against Mrs Weasley's chest, and her breathing was deep and slow. Molly's arm was going numb under her dead weight, but she didn't want to move and wake Ginny. The pins and needles started to creep from the tips of her fingers all the way up to her shoulder, but she sat still, staring out the window.

Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to take the discomfort any longer, the kitchen door opened again. She heard the sweeping of a cloak and the rustle of boots being removed and placed by the door, and Arthur and Bill came into the living room.

'Mol-' Arthur started, but Mrs Weasley broke him off with a quiet, '_Shh_'. She motioned to Ginny with her free arm, and Bill crossed over and lifted Ginny's slight frame from his mother's lap. Ginny's body was draped over Bill's strong arms limply, and she continued to breathe deeply.

'Bring her up to her room,' Molly whispered, and Bill turned and carried her up the stairs.

'What's this all about,' Arthur asked, kissing his wife on the cheek and laying an arm across her shoulders.

'Bit of a r-r-r-rough night,' Mrs Weasley said, trying to stifle a mid-sentence yawn and failing. She and Arthur climbed the two flights of stairs, which creaked under their combined weight, to their third floor bedroom. Bill shuffled past them in the hall, bidding them a sleepy good night and made his way to his own room. When Molly finally made it to her bed, she dropped onto the covers, not bothering to get undressed, and took a deep breath.

'I thought you said you were going to relax,' Arthur said, taking off his robes and laying them over the back of a chair.

'I started to,' said Molly wearily, 'but Ginny came down. She was all of a dither over Harry, and the poor thing could barely keep her eyes open, she cried herself out.'

Arthur put on his pajamas, pulled back the covers next to Molly and slid into the bed. She sighed and heaved herself up again, and went to the door.

'I suppose I should go check on her,' she said, and left the room, closing the door behind her with a soft _click_. Molly hoped to herself that Ginny was sound asleep, dreaming happy things and not fretting over Harry, but she knew that she would probably be sitting up in bed, waiting for her mother.

Just as Molly had predicted, when she pushed open Ginny's door, the light that spilt in from the hall illuminated a pair of eyes. Ginny made no noise, but shifted in her bed to allow room for Molly to sit down.

Mrs Weasley walked on tip toe into Ginny's room and situated herself on the bed next to her. Ginny wrapped her arms around her mother's middle and laid her head on her stomach. Molly resumed the stroking of Ginny's hair and she sighed contentedly.

'Feeling better, love,' Mrs Weasley asked softly.

'A little, but I think I need to sleep. I haven't been doing that much lately,' she admitted.

'Perhaps you should get to it,' Mrs Weasley said, lifting herself from Ginny's grasp and turning down the bed clothes. Ginny climbed in and snuggled into her pillow, and Molly tucked the blankets up around her chin. She bent down and kissed Ginny on the cheek and smoothed her hair out of her eyes. She hadn't tucked Ginny in since she was very, very small. 'Sweet dreams, dear,' she murmured, and went to the door.

'Mum,' Ginny called desperately, in a small voice.

'Hmm?'

'I love you.'

'I love you, too,' Mrs Weasley said, tears filling her eyes.

_Epilogue_

_Seventeen years later_

Molly was sitting alone at the kitchen table, her bewitched knitting needles clicking furiously in front of her. Her thoughts weren't quite on her wand, and this lack of concentration resulted in clumsy spell work. When she finally snapped out of her revere, the jumper she was supposed to be knitting for Ron's daughter, Rose, looked more like a poorly knit scarf. She let out a huff and flicked her wand. The needles resumed knitting in a more acceptable pattern.

There was a loud _pop _from outside in the garden. Mrs Weasley strained her neck to look out the window, but he kitchen door suddenly burst open with a bang, and Ginny flew in. When she laid eyes on her mother, dawn broke on her face. She jumped up and down squealing excitedly.

'Mum! You'll never guess what happened!'

Mrs Weasley snatched the needles and the jumper out of thin air and set them on the table. They tried to continue their pattern, but she pressed a firm hand over the silver rods. They squirmed under her grip.

'I wrote an owl, but I figured it'd be faster to Apparate over here and tell you myself! Harry asked me to marry him!' Ginny screamed, grinning from ear to ear and looking absolutely radiant.

Molly jumped up and knocked the chair she had been sitting on to the floor with a bang. She ran to Ginny and wrapped her arms tightly about her still jumping body. Her eyes welled with tears and she didn't try to hold them back. Burying her face in Ginny's hair, she sobbed happily.

'I kn-knew this day would c-come,' she blubbered, soaking the top of Ginny's head, 'I t-told you all along he'd come r-round and you didn't believe me! I t-told you, didn't I?'

'Yes, Mum,' Ginny said happily. 'You said I had to let him go! And he came back, he really, truly did!'

'Arthur,' Mrs Weasley called, pulling away from Ginny and moving to the kitchen door. 'Arthur! Come down here!'

Mr Weasley hurried down the stairs and entered the kitchen. 'What's the matter?'

'Nothing, oh, absolutely nothing,' Mrs Weasley cried, plowing into her husband's chest and wrapping her arms about him. She bawled into his shirt front. 'Our baby's getting m-m-married!'

Mr Weasley looked at Ginny, then down on his wife, and back again. He beamed widely.

'Congratulations, Ginny,' he cried. 'I have to go write an owl to Charlie and let him know! The rest will be here this evening, but this is fantastic!'

He hurried from the room, and Mrs Weasley turned back to face Ginny. She was positively glowing with excitement.

'I can't believe it,' Mrs Weasley cried, still teary eyed. 'My little girl, getting married; imagine! Well, come now, we have to start the preparations!' Molly righted the chair she had tipped over, waved her wand and a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink and a large blue peacock feather appeared on the table. She sat down and dipped the feather in the ink, then began to scribble dates and times.

'Mum,' Ginny laughed, grabbing a hold of Mrs Weasley's hand. 'We're only just engaged; give me a minute to breathe!'

'Sorry, dear,' Mrs Weasley said, beaming up at Ginny. 'I'm just so excited for you!'

'Thanks,' she said, smiling. Ginny sat down in the chair across from her mother and laid her head on her hands. 'I'm excited, too.'

'I'm so glad this worked out for you,' said Molly, absent mindedly doodling hearts on her parchment.

'You always knew it would,' Ginny smirked.

'Well, I had some idea…'

Ginny and Mrs Weasley burst into a fit of excited giggles, and the knitting needles clicked again of their own accord in mid-air. Everything felt right, at last.

_Love comes to those who still hope, although they've been disappointed, to those who still believe, and to those who have the courage and faith to build trust again._


End file.
